Patent US2703333A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0454479A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Recording apparatus for performing recording using recording head
Assignee: Canon Inc
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Filing: 1991-04-26
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-04-26
Abstract
Abstract An image recording apparatus for performing image recording on a recording medium by using plural types of recording heads each having a plurality of recording elements constituting an array includes a test pattern forming unit for forming test patterns on the recording medium by using the plural types of recording heads, a reading unit for reading the test patterns recorded by the test pattern recording unit, and a correction unit for correcting drive signals for driving the recording elements in correspondence with the recording elements and types of the recording heads on the basis of data read by the reading unit.
Inventors
- 👤 Toshimitsu C/O Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Danzuka
- 👤 Yoshihiro C/O Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Takada
- 👤 Eiichi C/O Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Takagi
- 👤 Haruhiko C/O Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Moriguchi
- 👤 Akio C/O Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Suzuki
- 👤 Yasushi C/O Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Miura
- 👤 Hisashi C/O Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Fukushima
- 👤 Masami C/O Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Izumizaki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 23:05
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/005; B41J2/01; B41J2/21; B41J2/2132; B41J2/2139; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/40; H04N1/401; H04N1/4015; H04N1/407; H04N1/4076; H04N1/4078; H04N1/46; H04N1/56; H04N1/60; H04N1/603; H04N1/6033
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 39
Claim 1
Independent Claim
98 words
An image recording apparatus for performing image recording on a recording medium by using plural types of recording heads each having a plurality of recording elements constituting an array, comprising: test pattern forming means for forming test patterns on the recording medium by using said plural types of recording heads; reading means for reading the test patterns recorded by said test pattern recording means; and correcting means for correcting drive signals for driving said recording elements in correspondence with said recording elements and types of said recording heads on the basis of data read by said reading means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
98 words
An image recording apparatus for performing image recording on a recording medium by using plural types of recording heads each having a plurality of recording elements constituting an array, comprising: test pattern forming means for forming test patterns on the recording medium by using said plural types of recording heads; reading means for reading the test patterns recorded by said test pattern recording means; and correcting means for correcting drive signals for driving said recording elements in correspondence with said recording elements and types of said recording heads on the basis of data read by said reading means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
101 words
An image forming apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, in which the plural types of test patterns having different densities are formed and the reading means comprises density reading means for reading the densities of said plural types of test patterns; and the correcting means comprises uneven image density correcting means for forming, on the basis of a reading result of the plural types of test patterns, correction data for uniforming image formation densities for the densities read by said density reading means and for correcting drive conditions of said plurality of recording elements on the basis of the correction data.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
112 words
An image forming apparatus as claimed in any previous claim, having means for relatively moving said recording head and the recording medium, giving different drive conditions to said plurality of recording elements upon relative movement between said recording head and the recording medium, and forming test patterns having areas of different densities in a relative movement direction; reading means for reading densities of the test patterns in units of density areas; and uneven image density correcting means for correcting drive conditions of said plurality of recording elements at the time of image formation so as to u niform image formation densities on the basis of a reading result of said reading means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
134 words
An image forming apparatus as claimed in any previous claim, in which the reading means is for reading an image and outputting colour signals corresponding to the image; the correction processing means is for performing colour correction processing of the output from said reading means; the correcting means is for causing said reading means to read the predetermined test patterns formed by said test pattern forming means, obtaining correction data from the colour signals colour-corrected by said colour correction processing means, and correcting image formation drive conditions of said plurality of recording elements on the basis of the correction data; and there is colour correction control means for causing said colour correction processing means to perform different colour correction processing operations in a test pattern reading mode and a normal original image reading mode.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
An image forming apparatus as claimed in any previous claim, having control means for setting variable one of a formation condition of said test pattern forming means, a reading condition of said reading means, and a method of calculating the correction data by said calculating means.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
60 words
An apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said correcting means comprises converting means for converting light quantity data of the read data into density data on the basis of conversion parameters corresponding to said plural types of recording heads, and correction value calculating means for calculating correction values on the basis of the density data output from said converting means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus according to Claim 2, wherein said reading means comprises AID-converting means for converting analog read data into the light quantity data, and reference level converting means for converting a reference level of said AID-converting means in correspondence with said plural types of recording heads.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
20 words
An apparatus according to any previous claim, wherein said plural types of recording heads perform recording in different colours, respectively.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
An apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said plural types of recording heads perform recording at different densities, respectively.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
17 words
An apparatus according to any previous claim, wherein said recording elements have orifices for injecting inks, respectively.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
33 words
An apparatus according to any previous claim, wherein said test pattern forming means records the test pattern by using one of said plural types of recording heads for each of the recording media.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
35 words
An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein said test pattern forming means sequentially records the test patterns with said plural types of recording heads on each of the recording media.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
An apparatus according to Claim 3, wherein said uneven image density correcting means corrects the drive conditions on the basis of data obtained by averaging the correction data corresponding to the densities.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
34 words
An apparatus according to Claim 3, wherein said uneven image density correcting means corrects the drive conditions on the basis of data obtained by weighting and averaging the correction data corresponding to the densities.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus according to Claim 14, wherein coefficients for weighting and averaging the correction data are set variable.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
33 words
An apparatus according to Claim 2 or 3, wherein said density reading means reads densities of the test patterns in accordance with conditions corresponding to recording colours of said plurality of recording heads.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
23 words
An apparatus according to Claim 16, wherein said density reading means comprises colour filters corresponding to the colours of said plurality recording heads.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
28 words
An apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein said test pattern forming means performs test pattern formation processing once, and said reading means performs test pattern reading processing once.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
35 words
An apparatus according to Claim 2 or 3, wherein the different densities are two different densities consisting of densities higher and lower than a correction reference density obtained by said uneven image density correcting means.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
39 words
An apparatus according to Claim 2 or 3, wherein the different densities are three different densities con- sisfing of densities higher and lower than a reference density formed by said uneven image density correcting means and the reference density.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
31 words
An apparatus according to Claim 3 or 4, wherein said recording head comprises a plurality of recording heads arranged in correspondence with recording agents having different colours for performing multi-colour recording.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
47 words
An apparatus according to Claim 4 or 5, wherein said colour correction processing means comprises an input masking processing unit for performing processing corresponding to characteristics of said reading means, and said colour correction control means controls input masking processing performed by said input masking processing unit.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
21 words
An apparatus according to Claim 22, wherein said colour correction control means changes operation coefficients of said input masking processing unit.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
40 words
An apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein said colour correction processing means comprises a masking processing unitfor performing processing corresponding to characteristics of said recording head, and said colour correction control means controls masking processing of said masking processing unit
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
20 words
An apparatus according to Claim 24, wherein said colour correction control means changes operation coefficients of said masking processing unit.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
40 words
An apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said colour correction processing means comprises a masking processing unitfor performing processing corresponding to characteristics of said recording head, and said colour correction control means controls masking processing of said masking processing unit
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
28 words
An apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein the reading condition of said reading means is an aperture size of aperture means arranged in front of said reading means.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
19 words
An apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein the reading condition of said reading means is a reading area size.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein the reading condition of said reading means is a reading speed.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
19 words
An apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein the reading condition of said reading means is a focus adjusting quantity.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
33 words
An apparatus according to any previous claim, further comprising a reading head as a combination of a plurality of heads having different reading conditions corresponding to the reading condition of said reading means.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
32 words
An apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein at least one of a reading condition of the test pattern, the reading conditions, and a method of calculating the correction data is arbitrarily set.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
41 words
An apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein at least one of a recording condition of the test pattern, the reading conditions, and a method of calculating the correction data is arbitrarily set in accordance with a history of said recording head.
Claim 35
Independent Claim
16 words
An apparatus according to any previous claim wherein said recording head is an ink-jet recording head.
Claim 36
Independent Claim
52 words
An apparatus according to any previous claim, wherein each of said recording elements comprises heat energy generating means for causing a change in state of an ink by heat, injecting the inkfrom said orifice on the basis of the change in state, and generating a heat energy for forming a flying droplet.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
13 words
An apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein said reading means comprises a CCD.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
83 words
In an ink jet recording apparatus having an array of orifices in a recording head, a method of overcoming the problem of variations in the printing pattern caused by inaccuracies in the manufacture of the array of orifices in the recording head which method comprises: a) forming a test pattern by ejecting ink from the recording head; b) reading the test pattern to detect errors; and c) adjusting the subsequent drive signals controlling the recording head to correct the pattern of ink ejection.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
83 words
In an ink jet recording apparatus having an array of orifices in a recording head, a method of overcoming the problem of variations in the printing pattern caused by inaccuracies in the manufacture of the array of orifices in the recording head which method comprises: a) forming a test pattern by ejecting ink from the recording head; b) reading the test pattern to detect errors; and c) adjusting the subsequent drive signals controlling the recording head to correct the pattern of ink ejection.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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